1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to compact nasal inserts with incorporated filters, especially designed to provide consumers with a more user-friendly and cost effective means of blocking dust and pollen from entering the nasal cavities, as well as avoiding foul odors.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Allergies are among the most common of medical disorders. Abnormal reactions of the immune system which occur in response to otherwise harmless substances, it is estimated that 60 million Americans, or more than one in every five people, suffer from some form of allergy, with similar proportions throughout much of the rest of the world. In fact, allergy is the single largest reason for school absence and is a major source of lost productivity in the workplace. An allergy is a type of immune reaction. Normally, the immune system responds to foreign bodies, like pollen or bacteria, by producing specific proteins called antibodies that are capable of binding to identifying molecules (antigens) on the foreign body. This reaction between antibody and antigen sets off a series of reactions designed to protect the body from infection. Sometimes, this same series of reactions is triggered by harmless, everyday substances. This is the condition known as allergy, and the offending substance is called an allergen. Allergens enter the body through four main routes: the airways, the skin, the gastrointestinal tract, and the circulatory system.
The most common of allergens, airborne allergens cause the sneezing, runny nose, and itchy, bloodshot eyes of hay fever (allergic rhinitis). Whether dust, mold, pollen, or pet dander, airborne allergens can also affect the lining of the lungs, causing asthma, or the conjunctiva of the eyes, causing conjunctivitis (pink eye). To combat these nuisances in the home and avoid allergic reactions, many consumers employ equipment such as dehumidifiers to dry the air, thus extinguishing the environment for allergens to breed, as well as air purifiers that capture the airborne particles through a filtering system. While these devices are quite effective in reducing allergens in the home, they tend to be quite expensive, and are simply not practical for most allergy sufferers. In addition, dehumidifiers and air purifiers are not portable, so those who depend upon them find themselves at the mercy of allergens when going to work or attending to outside tasks and errands. Susceptible to reactions from airborne allergens swirling outside and in public buildings, allergy sufferers face daunting challenges whenever they leave the safety of home.
The use of nasal filters is known in the prior art. Generally, the devices heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of filtering air breathed in through the nose are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations. For example, there exist various nasal appliances for use in connection with filtering pollutants from the air.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,719, issued to Irene J. Childers, discloses a nose filter for filtering air breathed through the nostrils. The device includes a resilient nose fitted element with dual replaceable filter members and a central spring biasing connection member.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,694, issued to Jung-Fu Chen, discloses a stuff-in type nose plug with air filters that are integrally connected to each other at one end. The filter may have an active carbon portion fixed to the air inlet so that dirt and filthy air can be filtered before being inhaled by the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,701,924, issued to Richard D. Land, Jr. et al., discloses a nasal filter consisting of a spring clip having flanged ends with an oval shaped filter element on each end. The filter elements can be disposable separately from the spring clip.
While each of the above-mentioned devices may be effective to some degree in providing a nasal filter, none of the references, however, disclose a compact, inexpensive, and safe nostril filtering system that is worn essentially entirely within the nasal cavity such that it is virtually invisible.